PILGRIM BADGE

Medieval or Early Post Medieval pilgrim badge depicting the Annunciation. The badge is uni-face with a relief decoration on the front and the remains of a simple attachment hook on the reverse. The design is within a raised border and features two cloaked figures facing each other and holding a book over a vertical branch between them. The figure on the left, the Angel Gabriel, is crowned and a row of diagonal lines behind his back may represent wings. The figure on the right, Mary, wears a hooded cloak and lines around her may represent a building. the branch has a vertical stem splitting into five at the top. There is a raised line running across the back of the badge which is either a casting flash or the remains of the hook. The hook on the reverse is now missing, it has broken with a small tear at the top of the badge. It measures 22.6mm in diameter and 1.4mm thick. It weighs 4.01g.

The Annunciation is the scene where the angel Gabriel comes to Mary and asks her to bears Gods son. In later Medieval representations she is often shown as interrupted while reading. There were many shrines to Mary throughout England but the most famous was at Walsingham. Spencer (1998:141) states that "Badges depicting the annunciation were an important part of Walsingham's souvenir trade from c.1320-30 until the reformation... The earlier badges, however, were larger and more detailed and they placed the Annunciation within an architectural canopy". Simpler circular badges seem to mostly be 15th or early 16th century in date and this badge may be a Walsingham souvenir of that period, A similar badge can be seen on this database; SOMDOR-7514C8. This object has been published in Lewis (2014, 28).